The Washington critic., 1887-02-07
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

lures of members of the Supreme Court |
of the United States, says World
correspondent, and Washington pho
tographers compete with each other In |
their efforts to secure the likenesses of |
the Supreme Court Justices. These
pictures command ready sale, and
the artists could well afford to take
them free. Recently prominent
Washington artist got all Of the men,
bers of the court together In his place
and secured negative of them In a
group. The proof met the approval of
all of the Justices except one. The
Justice objected to his picture because,
he conilded to the artist, 1t made him
look too short. The photographer re.
fused to destroy the negative, however,
unless the Justice would bring all the
members of the court together for an.
other sitting. This he succeeded In
doing, and the artist provided the short
member with box TO stand on. His
associates discovered the trick and had
good laugh at the expense of the
short Justice.
NiOst VI luc ullluutCs WhiNu hhNO
been entered into between foreigners
and American ladies have been the
result of ambition upon the one side
and cupidity upon the other. Expc.
rience has shown, says Towle of the
Boston Trucclier, that the result of
swapping goodly sum of money for a
title has worked disastrously In the
majority Of instances. Here In WASH
ington, where the under secretaries are
paid comfortable, but by no means mu-
nificent salaries, there does not seem
to lie any disposition to enter into al
lianccs with the society girls. There
have not been half dozen such mar
riages In ten years. Another curious
fact Is that there are no love affairs be-
tween the members of the families of
the legation people on duty in Wash.
ington. This is surprising when we
consider that the young ladies and gen
tlemen are almost constantly thrown in
each others company. 1t is said that
at the present time there is not single
engagement existing in this circle.
~
Says the New York Stars "MIan
About Town" My old friend, Gen.
eral Charles p. Stone, Stone Pasha,
late Lieutenant General and chief Of
staG of the army of Egypt, engineer of
great works and commander Of great
military and civil operations, is dead,
and his personal estate Is proven at less
than SlC0. A man of domestic and
economical habits, pious and dutiful,
indulging In no eXtravagances, with
his range of amusements all measured
by the radius of his household circle,
and yet so large man that the I'm
press of his work will long remain on
the public affairs of three continents,
he dies practically without dollar
~
Miss Clara Barton, the head of the
Red Cross Society, is not handsome
woman or an interesting speaker, says
the Washington correspondent of the
Cedar Rapids Qowa) Democrat, but she
seems so thoroughly good, and her
work of mercy is so plainly laid be.
fore one in her hesitating, modest
words that We all love her, and after
the first five minutes enjoy her talk.
She is probably so years of age, but
has few gray hairs. She wears her
hair in knot or coil at the back of her
head, which Is too painfully broad
through from car to ear, and too thin
two inches higher. If her front hair
were only short and half covered her
forehead, thus Disgusting Its narrow
ness, she would be much better look
ing woman. She has as large mouth
as was ever seen on q woman. While
talking, she opens 1t sometimes, al
most always wider than Is necessary or
pretty. Although she has received
Jewels and medals innumerable from
the grand dukes of Baden, the EN-
peror of Germany, the queens of Italy
and of Servia, and from many others,
she wears no jewelry save her watch
and chain, and the red cross on white
ground as large as silver dollar.
~
Two years ago, says the New York
Sun, a bright faced lad of 13 was hired
by stock broker, with Offices about
100 yards from the Exchange, to chalk
on the blackboard now used In many
offices the prices of stocks as they ap.
peared on the tape. The lad then wore
ill.ftting clothes, but his ingenious
ways attracted the attention Of the
brokers' customers, and he soon became
favorite. Yesterday the lad, now IS,
wearing an expensive suit and neat but
costly jewelry, told how he had lost
$3.50 at poker few nights ago, and
won that amount and more at the next
sitting. lie incidentally remarked that
the stock market was against him
$500, but that he was 80, 100 ahead on
cotton. lie still chalks the ticker
prices on the blackboard, and In all
probability some future Sun reporter
will speak of his success in Wall street
as a broker or record his utter destruc.
ton for the lad is Of the sort to come
out big winner or get battered to
flinders.
~
In the matter of social drinking,
says the Washington correspondent OF
the New York NdH and EtprCSs, 1t /:
safely asserted that there is no society
In the United States where wine and
mixed drinks are offered so freely ID
private houses as in Washington, and
nowhere does so little indecorum re-
suit from It, Washington seems tc
have taken naturally to the form oi
temperance observed In foreign capl
tails, where everybody drinks and no
body gets drunk, 1t is asserted, with
out fear of successful contra fiction
that in the last five years but two oI
three scandals in society have occurred
in regard TO drinking, and two of thos,
were exceptional. In one case silly
young woman allowed two young
nuI. IL.